News

OJJDP Announces New Funding Opportunities

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has announced the following fiscal year 2013 funding opportunities:

National Juvenile Justice Information Sharing Training and Technical Assistance Program. OJJDP seeks applications for its national program to deliver training, technical assistance, and implementation support for information sharing among juvenile justice, child welfare, mental health, education, and other youth-serving agencies. This program will enhance agencies’ ability to provide services and ensure better outcomes for children, youth, and families. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 9, 2013.

Division of Innovation and Research Fellowship Program on Juvenile Justice Data. The fellowship will provide an opportunity for researchers with experience and expertise in juvenile justice, survey methodology, and statistics to help implement collaborative cross-agency strategies, policies, and programs to enhance and improve data for use by policymakers and practitioners nationwide. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 15, 2013

Resources:
Visit OJJDP’s funding page for more information about this solicitation and other current funding opportunities.

Friday, May 31, 2013 at 11:46 AM

Press Release: The Training Curriculum and Program Guide on Suicide Detection and Prevention in Juvenile Detention and Correctional Facilities and Residential Programs

The National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA) recently announced the availability of the Training Curriculum and Program Guide on Suicide Detection and Prevention in Juvenile Detention and Correctional Facilities and Residential Programs, a comprehensive 190-page manual developed by Lindsay M. Hayes. The manual, contained in a three-ring binder and accompanied by a CD of 163 PowerPoint slides, is available for $199, including shipping/handling.

This Curriculum is designed to equip direct care, security, medical, mental health, and education personnel with a comprehensive understanding of suicidal behavior as it relates to the facility environment of a detention center, training school, and/or residential treatment center. It includes a discussion on juvenile suicide research, guiding principles to suicide prevention, why facility environments are conducive to suicidal behavior, staff attitudes about suicide, potential predisposing factors to suicide, warning signs and symptoms, identification of suicide risk despite the denial of risk, high-risk periods, components of the facility’s suicide prevention policy, instruction regarding the proper role of staff in responding to a suicide attempt, critical incident stress debriefing, and liability issues.

The manual is also a Program Guide and provides facility administrators a virtual blueprint for development and/or revision of suicide prevention programs. Eight critical components to a suicide prevention program are outlined in detail — staff training, intake screening/assessment, communication, safe housing, levels of observation/management, intervention, reporting, and follow-up/morbidity-mortality review.

The report is the first comprehensive analysis of current family engagement and family partnership practices in juvenile justice systems around the country and provides practical tools and resources to juvenile justice system practitioners in undertaking a family-driven approach to juvenile justice.

"This report underscores the critical importance of involving families in juvenile justice," says Liz Ryan, President and CEO of the Campaign for Youth Justice. "Family Comes First serves as a guide for juvenile justice system practitioners to implement a new, family-driven approach to juvenile justice."

The workbook was funded in large part by a generous grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

In partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), the Campaign for Youth Justice (CFYJ) conducted listening sessions with families impacted by the juvenile and criminal justice system. CFYJ also surveyed juvenile justice system leaders in juvenile corrections and juvenile detention and found that families and juvenile justice system leaders agree that:

Basic information about the process of the court system, families' legal rights, and the role of the various players in the system is not available to families and prevents effectively addressing any treatment needs of the child;

Economic and social supports necessary to meet the needs of children are not available to families and prevent the full participation of families in the existing activities offered by the justice system;

Justice systems and agencies are not staffed or resourced appropriately to effectively support families;

An opportunity to participate in decision-making at all levels should be provided to families; and

Family supports from other families and system staff will ensure that youth achieve positive outcomes.

The report features several family-driven approaches and programs, including:

The Youth Reception Center in Multnomah County, Oregon

Family Group Decision-making in Pennsylvania

Southwest Key Program (national) based in Austin, Texas

Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (national) featuring programs in Atlantic City, New Jersey; South Bronx and Newburgh, New York

The Center for Young Women's Development in San Francisco, California

Public opinion polling commissioned by GBA Strategies shows that the public strongly supports family engagement strategies, including requiring that incarcerated youth are placed in facilities close to their families and communities, letting youth offenders see their families at least once a week, as well as designing treatment and rehabilitation plans that include a youth's family in planning and services.

Recommendations in the report include:

Federal policymakers:

A National Technical Assistance Center on Family Engagement should be created to provide support to state and local justice and child-serving agencies interested in starting or expanding family engagement programs;

A National Family Resource Center should be established to serve families in the justice system; and

The federal government should also fund state and regional Parental Information Resource Centers for families involved in the justice system, and these centers should be co-located and coordinated with existing parent centers already funded by other child-serving agencies.

State and local policymakers:

Each agency and program having contact with children and families involved in the justice system should hire or appoint a staff person, preferably a family member or former system-involved youth, to coordinate family engagement efforts and activities;

Every justice system agency and program with responsibility for children and youth should conduct a comprehensive assessment to develop specific strategies to implement a family-driven approach to juvenile justice; and

Existing federal and state funding sources should be identified to support family engagement programs and related services to families in the justice system.

Butterfly Release Symbolic for Wards

He pressed two fingers together, securing a butterfly's wings in between. Firm enough to keep it from flying. Gentle enough to keep its new wings from tearing.

Joseph Galindo, 19, helped the once-tiny egg transform to an exquisite painted lady the past several weeks, a metamorphosis that conceivably reflects his own path to empathy amid the unforeseen tragedy of losing his own grandmother to violence.

Galindo and two other wards at Stockton's N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility - Andrew Chavez, 20, and Kyle Raridon, 19 - have raised hundreds of butterflies that are donated to victims groups.

Galindo has spent six months at Chaderjian, one of four state facilities that houses wards with some of the most violent convictions, for a crime he committed in Bakersfield.

In the program, butterflies are used to symbolize that the young wards can change their lives.

"It first starts out like a little speck," a soft-spoken Galindo said as he opened a plastic container with pin head-size eggs.

He stood in a prison cell that is converted to a butterfly habitat.

The specks must be incubated and fed a mix of specialized powder food, vinegar and water. Galindo is responsible for monitoring the larvae. They depend on him for survival.

The Columbia Council of Neighborhoods Recognizes South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice

The Columbia Council of Neighborhoods held its sixth annual awards banquet and Hall of Fame Introduction ceremony Thursday, April 25. Karen Tanner, the wife of University of South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner, was the guest speaker.

The ceremony focused on young people. Chase Mizzell, a student at the University of South Carolina, was awarded the Outstanding Youth Leadership award. A program of the Department of Juvenile Justice, Behind the Fence, was presented the Community Leader of Excellence award. Stacy Atkinson received the award of behalf of the department.
Dr. Mary Baskin Waters, president of the CCN, recognized students from the University of South Carolina and Benedict College who attended the banquet.

Waters received a surprise of her own, the Award of Special Recognition. “I was very surprised and very honored to get that. This means more to me than any award I’ve gotten,” Waters said. Following the June 2013 meeting, her time as president of CCN will end.

Paul Bouknight from the Cotton Town/Bellevue community and Janie Nelson from Keenan Terrace were inducted into the CCN Hall of Fame. Florida Boyd from Golden Acres, Evelyn Causey from Brandon Acres/Cedar Terrace, and Donzell Belton from Edisto Court were each presented the Neighborhood Volunteer of the Year award.

Cynthia Pryor Hardy from OnPoint and Deserving Divas, Karen Alexander from Auntie Karen Foundation, and the Richland County Neighborhood Council each received Special Recognition awards for their organizations.

Friday, May 3, 2013 at 10:28 AM

The Impact of Family Visitation on Incarcerated Youth's Behavior and School Performance: Findings from the Families as Partners Project

From February 2010 through March 2013, Vera’s Family Justice Program partnered with the Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS) on the Families as Partners project. The work sought to promote better outcomes for incarcerated youth by helping staff draw on youth’s families as a source of material and emotional support, encouraging visits and correspondence between youth and their families, and increasing family involvement in youth’s treatment and reentry plans. DYS is the first agency to implement Vera’s Juvenile Relational Inquiry Tool, which helps staff identify youth family and social support. The research component of the project analyzed how family support affected outcomes for youth during their incarceration. This brief summarizes the findings, which show that sustained family contact leads to improved youth behavior, including school performance.

Deadline Extended for Youth in Custody Certificate Program

The Youth in Custody Certificate Program offers leaders the opportunity to develop capacity, effectuate change, and build on system improvements over time. The program, hosted by the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, NC4YC, the Missouri Department of Social Services' Division of Youth Services, and the Council of State Governments Justice Center, shines a brighter light on serving the high-risk juvenile offender population and helps leaders begin or accelerate systemic change to improve outcomes for youth. Modules in the training curriculum include:

Culture Change and Leadership;

Family and Youth Engagement;

Assessment;

Treatment, Services, and Reentry; and

Expert Panel of Leaders (Providing Real-Life Examples of Reform).

Participants will receive a certificate from Georgetown University recognizing their successful completion of the program, and become a part of CJJR's Fellows Network, a mutually supportive network of leaders focused on multi-systems reforms efforts designed to better serve youth known to multiple systems. They will also receive technical assistance from national experts on their Capstone projects after they return home from the program.

The program takes place August 19-23, 2013 in Washington, D.C. Applications are now due May 17, 2013. While individuals may apply, applicants are encouraged to apply in teams to increase their ability to implement reforms to the system upon completion of the program. More information about the program, including the application, selection criteria, and information on tuition subsidies, can be found here.

Friday, April 26, 2013 at 10:31 AM

Attorney General Outlines Initial Steps for Response to Children’s Exposure to Violence

Order a printed copy of the Report of the Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at 11:38 AM

Vera Releases New Guide for Juvenile Justice Service Providers

Demonstrating that a program accomplishes its stated goals is increasingly important for social service organizations—funders and clients want to see the evidence of successful outcomes. Although a full-scale evaluation can be a costly and overwhelming goal, adopting the information-gathering and self-reflective approaches that lead up to an evaluation can in themselves strengthen an agency’s focus and procedural fidelity.

As part of the MacArthur Foundation Models for Change initiative, the Vera Institute of Justice today published Measuring Success: A Guide to Becoming an Evidence-Based Practice. It describes the process that assesses whether a program qualifies as evidence based—which often determines an organization’s funding and the growth of its client pool—and explains how programs can prepare to be evaluated.

Vera has worked with juvenile justice system service providers in many settings as they build and monitor their programs. It produced this handbook on the basis of experience in the field, and in collaboration with the Institute for Public Health and Justice at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.

While the guide grew out of requests from juvenile justice service providers for a roadmap toward becoming an evidence-based practice, its recommendations have applications beyond juvenile justice. “We believe the systematic approach to collecting information on goals, treatment methods, and outcomes can benefit other social service providers seeking to measure the efficacy of their interventions,” said Annie Salsich, director of Vera’s Center on Youth Justice.

Funding Opportunities

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has announced the following fiscal year 2013 funding opportunities:

Field-Initiated Research and Evaluation Program. OJJDP will fund field-initiated studies that advance the understanding of how the application of a child and adolescent development framework to juvenile justice system approaches, policies, and programs impacts delinquency, juvenile justice system involvement, and recidivism. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on May 29, 2013.

National Girls Institute. Through this solicitation, OJJDP will support its National Girls Institute, whose mission is to improve girls’ delinquency programming and practices at the national, state, tribal, and local levels; reduce the number of girls in the juvenile justice system; and improve the treatment of girls who are already in detention. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on May 30, 2013.

National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Youth in Custody. Through this solicitation, OJJDP will fund the National Center for Youth in Custody, which provides resources, training, and technical assistance for juvenile detention and confinement facilities, adult facilities that hold juveniles, and communities working to rehabilitate juvenile offenders. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on May 30, 2013.

Resources:
Visit OJJDP’s funding page for more information about this solicitation and other current funding opportunities.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at 1:43 PM

Words Unlocked: A Poetry Initiative for Youth in Facilities

In the spirit of National Poetry Month (April), and in an effort to encourage literary exploration by young people held in juvenile facilities, the Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Settings (CEEAS) is sponsoring Words Unlocked, a month-long initiative that includes practitioner-ready curricular materials, a nationwide competition, and publishing venues for student work.

Schools and educational programs in juvenile facilities around the U.S. are encouraged to start the initiative on April 1, 2013. All materials for the initiative are available at the CEEAS wiki site, Words Unlocked. The wiki has a robust set of tools available for public use including:

Daily lesson plans;

Teacher-ready classroom materials, rubrics and assessments;

Teacher tips;

A seven-day and a month-long poetry curriculum; and

Handouts and materials available in SMARTBoard, ActivBoard, MS Word, and PDF formats.

Words Unlocked includes a nationwide poetry competition open to any youth held in a secure facility. Poets R. Dwayne Betts and Jimmy Santiago Baca will serve as the lead judges. In addition, CEEAS will engage the public in the judging by running a nationwide poll using Twitter.

Finally, CEEAS will publish an on-line and iBook anthology featuring student poetry, and will provide training for schools on how to publish their own anthologies. The CEEAS blog will feature poems submitted during the initiative.

Visit the Words Unlocked wiki site today to begin planning for this amazing event!

Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 10:40 AM

OJJDP Announces Funding Opportunities

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has announced the following fiscal year 2013 funding opportunities:

• Model Programs Guide. Funding is available to develop and expand content for OJJDP’s Model Programs Guide (MPG), an online resource for practitioners and policymakers of more than 200 evidence-based juvenile justice intervention and prevention programs and practices. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on May 20, 2013.

• National Intertribal Youth Leadership Development Initiative. OJJDP is seeking applicants to plan and implement an initiative to enhance tribal efforts to increase youth engagement, coordination, and action related to juvenile justice, delinquency prevention, and public safety in Indian country. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on May 20, 2013.

Resources:
Visit OJJDP’s funding page for more information about this solicitation and other current funding opportunities.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 3:56 PM

Barbara Allen-Hagen Award Application Now Available

Performance-based Standards (PbS) is proud to present the application for the 2013 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award. The award was established in 2007 and is given annually to one detention and one correction facility that best exemplify the PbS underlying principles supported by Ms. Allen-Hagen that facilities provide safe environments for youths and staff that are conducive to learning and changing behavior; and staff and managers treat all youths coming into the facility as if the next child to be admitted was one of their own. This year, a third national award will be given to a community-based program in recognition of exemplary treatment of youths.

Ms. Allen-Hagen served as the PbS project monitor at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice from 1995 when the project was launched until her retirement May 2006. She was instrumental in obtaining federal support for PbS and was a continuous voice advocating on behalf of youths in the juvenile justice system.

In 2012, winners from Ohio, Utah received the award for their extraordinary work at reducing injury from youth on youth assaults and safety through less punitive practices and increased communications.

The award application will run from March 18 through April 30, 2013. This year's award ceremony will be held in October in Chicago in conjunction with the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators (CJCA) First Annual All Directors Leadership Institute.

PbS and CbS Participants must be logged in to apply. The application can be found under surveys.

Monday, March 18, 2013 at 3:18 PM

Webinar To Address National Juvenile Defender Standards

On March 20, 2013, at 1 p.m. ET, the National Juvenile Justice Network will host the 1-hour Webinar “The National Juvenile Defense Standards: Why They Matter for Advocates.” The National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC) recently released the Standards, which seek to strengthen and clarify juvenile defense practice and policy, elevate the practice of juvenile law, and improve the delivery of legal services to all indigent youth. NJDC managing attorney Tim Curry will discuss:

Where defender obligations under standards and juvenile policy advocacy intersect.

How defenders and advocates can work together to promote systemic reform.

How the standards guide the relationship between the defender, the child client, and the child’s parents.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change initiative funded the development of the Standards. Learn more about the initiative.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at 12:41 PM

Risk Assessment in Juvenile Justice: A Guidebook for Implementation

The National Youth Screening & Assessment Project (NYSAP) has published Risk Assessment in Juvenile Justice: A Guidebook for Implementation. This comprehensive guide draws on years of research and actual experiences implementing risk assessment in juvenile justice settings as part of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change Initiative. It provides practical insights and a structure for jurisdictions, juvenile probation or centralized statewide agencies striving to implement risk assessment or to improve their current risk assessment practices.

The Challenge of Change

The 2013 Performance-based Standards (PbS) State Coordinators Training convened 30 state agency leaders in Houston Jan. 23-25. Participants learned, shared and brainstormed solutions and innovations to create safe and healthy facility cultures using PbS. Entitled “The Challenge of Change: Beginning with the End in Mind,” the training featured a presentation by behavior management expert Frank Picone on strategies to create a positive work culture in the midst of a changing environment. Panel discussions focused on ways to use PbS data to create facility and systems change, approaches to ensure buy-in by all agency levels to promote and sustain PbS and practices that use incentive-based behavior management systems as a tool for positive change. State Coordinators also participated in a small group exercise to create presentations for agency leadership, which were shared with all and critiqued by a team of colleagues. Also during the busy agenda, participants used the time together to network, share experiences and strategize ways to measure, report and communicate the effectiveness of behavior management systems using PbS.

The training produced six PowerPoint presentations that are currently available to State Coordinators on the PbS website. Designated team leaders shared their jurisdiction’s PbS data with groups and cooperatively analyzed what was working in the facility and key areas that needed improvement. Each group used PbS outcome measure reports, summary incident reports, and youth and staff survey reports to create presentations to present to agency leadership toward keeping them informed. State Coordinators shared various recommendations that included evidence based interventions, gender-specific considerations, and positive incentives to minimize use of confinement and restraints.

The training also introduced and highlighted work in several states using PbS’ new initiatives:

The Family and Social Supports standards and family survey, pilot tested in Ohio and Indiana;

The new youth record report that disaggregates the outcome measures by race and ethnicity, pilot tested in Washington; and

The application program interface (API), which automatically transfers information to the PbS website from local management information systems without manual data entry. Washington has completed development of transfer youth record data to PbS; several states are close to completing transfer of incident reports (Alaska, Texas).

The 2013 State Coordinators Training was a huge success thanks to the dedication and commitment of all of the attendees and the team of PbS coaches and staff who helped to make the training possible. A special thanks goes to PbS coach Lois Jenkins and her planning team including Valerie Boykin, Barbara Chayt, Dave Crowley, Al Lick, Kimbla Newsom, Peggy Steimel, and Gary Westoby.

Evaluations completed by participants showed that the presentation by Frank Picone was well-received and provided straightforward and practical methods to create a positive work culture in facilities. A number of attendees have already taken the initiative to share his message with staff and management. Participants stated they gained insight on ways to reach out to families and followed up with each other after the training to share practices and approaches to involve family members and keep them informed. State Coordinators reported that networking was also one of many benefits of the training, hearing about unique and creative programs in other states such as South Carolina’s “I Know My FIP” badge. Future webinars are currently being planned to support the positive networking and helpful information that was shared and enjoyed by the training participants.

Cuyahoga Hills Horticulture Class

Cuyahoga Hills JCF completed construction of its new greenhouse on September 16, 2012. It is located a short distance from the Horticulture classroom in an area that provides plenty of room for gardens, landscaping materials and storage buildings.

Ms. Janay Davis, Horticulture teacher, divides the quarterly curriculum into modules. Within each module, there are competencies to master, and after completion of the course, students are awarded a certificate that lists the skills that they have acquired. Classroom lessons are reinforced through hand-on work in the greenhouse, land lab and classroom store.

The educational team at Cuyahoga strives to incorporate common core subjects in all classes. For Black History Month, the Horticulture students researched George Washington Carver. They are also writing an Ohio Graduation Achievement Test (OGT) practice essay. Currently, students are studying ornamentals, landscaping design, and how to maintain plants in a retail outlet environment. "Students have discovered that there is a lot more to growing and selling plants than they thought," Ms. Davis states. Students have to rely on their math skills to figure out the volume of soil for each pot, as the soil, pot and seeds determine the sale price of an item.

Students work continuosly, caring for all the house plants around the facility, in the greenhouse, classrooms, hallways, offices and dorms. This quarter students are busy planting seeds and plugs for Cuyahoga's spring bedding plant and hanging basket sale. So far, students have planted approximately 80 hanging flower baskets, including spring combinations, full sun baskets, red, white and blue baskets and planters for patios.

"We are anticipating the summer months. It keeps us very busy in the gardens," Ms. Davis declared.
"Our goal this year is to plant 100 tomato plants and enough sweet corn and watermelon to feed the entire facility at a meal."

There are many facets to this class and the curriculum entails more. One thing is for sure: staff and youth can expect more great things to develop from this program.

Additional information on both these reports can be found on The Campaign for Youth Justice blog.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 4:02 PM

Guide to Risk Assessment Implementation Now Available

The National Youth Screening & Assessment Project has published “Risk Assessment in Juvenile Justice: A Guidebook for Implementation.” The guidebook details the purpose and nature of risk assessment, provides definitions of risk assessment concepts, describes some of the research evidence, and provides in-depth guidance on selecting and implementing an evidence-based tool. Customizable documents, including office policy templates, memoranda of agreement, and presentation slides to educate stakeholders about risk assessment are available on CD-ROM for readers’ use.

Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program Grant Applications

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance is seeking applications for funding for the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP). This program seeks to increase public safety and improve access to effective treatment for people with mental illnesses who are involved with the criminal justice system by facilitating collaboration among the criminal justice, juvenile justice, mental health treatment, and substance abuse systems. Each grantee is given the opportunity to tailor its programming to the particular needs of its community. Applications are due on March 25, 2013.

On February 19, 2013 (2:00-3:00 p.m. EST), the Council of State Governments Justice Center will host a webinar to assist grant applicants seeking funding through the JMCHP. In this webinar, BJA representatives will provide an overview of this year’s JMHCP grants, discuss eligibility and application materials, and lead a question-and-answer session. You can register for this free webinar.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 10:41 AM

Family Engagement in Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Programs Webinar

On February 7, 2013, 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m. (EST), The Council of State Governments Justice Center, in collaboration with the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice, will present Family Engagement in Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Programs: Making It Real. During this webinar, Wendy Luckenbill of Community Care Behavioral Health and Dr. Tracy Levins of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department will describe their efforts to improve family involvement and to develop new resources for both family members and juvenile justice staff. As representatives of the Models for Change Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network, the presenters will share concrete, practical strategies and best practices that other programs can replicate. The Models for Change Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network was established by the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice with support from the MacArthur Foundation.

OJJDP Likely To Appoint Permanent Administrator

Robert Listenbee Jr., a long-time champion of reforms in the juvenile justice system, including limiting the detention and incarceration of juveniles, is likely to be the next permanent administrator of the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, according to a report in the Chronicle of Social Change.

The federal office on juvenile justice has not had a permanent chief since President Barack Obama took office in 2008, the first time in the office’s nearly four-decade history that the seat has lain vacant for so long. Melodee Hanes became acting administrator of the office in January 2012, after Jeff Slowikowski fulfilled that role for the first three years of the Obama administration.

Washington State Program Offers Peer Support for Justice-Involved Families

Developed by the University of Washington, Seattle, Juvenile Justice 101 is a Models for Change program that helps parents and guardians of justice system-involved youth understand the juvenile court process. Facilitated by caregivers of youth who have been through the juvenile justice system, the program includes a court orientation, agency presentations, one-on-one support, and community outreach.

You can read about other ongoing projects at the Division of Public Behavioral Health and Justice Policy at The University of Washington School of Medicine.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at 1:14 PM

National Research Council Report Supports Developmental Approach to Juvenile Justice

The National Research Council has released "Reforming Juvenile Justice: A Developmental Approach". The report presents the findings of a 2-year independent study of the juvenile justice system commissioned by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Researchers examined recent advances in behavioral and neuroscience research with regard to adolescent development and offending and recommend that this scientific knowledge be incorporated into juvenile justice reform efforts nationwide.

Performance-based Standards has been mentioned in the report, recognized as a promising program that continues to expand.

Monday, December 10, 2012 at 12:35 PM

PRC Grant Announcement

The PREA Resource Center has announced a grant opportunity to establish “Zero Tolerance” cultures for sexual abuse in locally and tribally operated adult and juvenile detention facilities; with awards of up to $100,000 for individual agencies; $300,000 for collaborative applications. Agencies that operate small (less than 100 beds) or medium (less than 500 beds) facilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

To apply for the Competitive Grant to Establish “Zero Tolerance” Cultures for Sexual Abuse in Local Adult and Juvenile Detention Facilities visit the PRC Official Announcement.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at 4:28 PM

SCDJJ Vocational Programs Win Best in Show at State Fair

South Carolina DJJ youth win Best in Show at the S. C. State Fair with the creation of an upholstered chair in Clemson-inspired fabric. The award was featured today in the Columbia Star.

Isolation Time Cut in Half for Incarcerated Youths

The Performance-based Standards (PbS) Learning Institute is pleased to release a report showing juvenile justice facilities working to improve conditions of confinement in 29 states and the District of Columbia have cut in half the time youths are isolated and confined to their rooms.
The facilities - long-term correction and short-term detention and assessment centers - voluntarily participate in the national PbS program and adhere to PbS standards for operating safe, healthy and rehabilitative facilities and use isolation or room confinement only to protect a youth from harming him/herself or others and only for brief periods of time with supervision.

“This shows intentional and measurable cultural change is happening in youth facilities across the country,” said PbS Learning Institute Executive Director Kim Godfrey. “We have more work to do – a lot more work - but this report gives everyone in juvenile justice clear evidence that leadership, best practices and dedicated staff can improve conditions of confinement.”

Placing offenders in isolation or confined in their rooms is an old correctional approach that began with the first penitentiaries 200 years ago. Research has shown the practice to be dangerous, ineffective managing youths’ behavior and increases youths’ risks for suicide. Juvenile justice facilities increasingly are developing and implementing alternative approaches to respond to youths’ misbehavior that avoid punishment or sanctions.

SC DJJ Offenders Meet Their Victims In New BARJ Program

The South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice unveiled a new program this past Tuesday that allows young offenders to collaborate with their parents, the victim and officers to come up with solutions to their crimes.

"We need to bring the young person in front of his victim so that victim can tell them, 'this is what you've done to me, this is how it affected me, this is how it impacted me, this is what I have to live with because of what you did,'" explained Andy Broughton, the director of Restorative Justice. "And as they hear that, some empathy starts developing. So it's an accountability factor."

Some of the other solutions include volunteering, victim impact classes and after school programs.

Position Announcement: Program Officer, Justice Reform US Programs

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Chicago, IL

Specific responsibilities will involve all facets of the Foundation’s criminal and juvenile justice grantmaking activities. Reporting to the Program Director, the program officer will build, maintain, and strengthen relationships with state and local leaders and national experts involved in juvenile and criminal justice activities, including the signature Models for Change reform initiative, and participate in the development of grantmaking strategies related to justice law and policy research and practice. Significant exposure to and experience in systems change and improvement is highly desired. Ability to travel regularly is required.

To apply for the Program Officer position, interested candidates should visit www.macfound.org/jobs. Electronic submissions are required.

OJJDP Acting Administrator Melodee Hanes announced a $1.5 million Community-Based Violence Prevention award Community-Based Violence Prevention award to the city of Philadelphia. “Youth violence is not inevitable,” said Hanes. “Among other activities, this funding will allow Philadelphia to expand its CeaseFire program and continue to change the culture of violence—by mobilizing communities, educating the public, and reaching out to youth—with the help of the city’s leadership and law enforcement personnel.”

Philadelphia is one of four cities that will receive a 2012 Community-Based Violence Prevention grant. Under the program, recipients replicate proven strategies that target the high-risk activities and behaviors of a small number of carefully selected members of the community who are likely to be involved in violent activities, specifically gang and gun violence.

Resources:
In August, OJJDP announced that Detroit would receive a Community-Based Violence Prevention grant.

Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 10:48 AM

The Council of State Governments Justice Center-Program Director, Position Opening

Program Director, Juvenile JusticeContact: Division Director, National InitiativesLocation: New York, NYApplication Deadline: Open until filled

Reporting to the National Initiatives Division Director of the CSG Justice Center, the Director of the Juvenile Justice Program will establish the policy framework and lead all active initiatives related to the Justice Center’s ongoing juvenile justice work. To achieve this goal, the Program Director will cultivate a network of legislators, consultants, researchers, analysts, scholars, practitioners and policy makers, to further the Juvenile Justice Program’s goals and raise the level of public awareness of the juvenile work done by the Justice Center. The Program Director will help chart the program’s future strategic growth and manage its day-to-day operations.

MacArthur Foundation Program Officer Position Opening

Position Announcement:

Program Officer, Justice Reform US Programs
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Chicago, IL

BACKGROUND:
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private, independent grantmaking institution dedicated to helping groups and individuals foster lasting improvement in the human condition. The Foundation seeks the development of healthy individuals and effective communities; peace within and among nations; responsible choices about human reproduction; and a global ecosystem capable of supporting healthy human societies. The Foundation pursues this mission by supporting research, policy development, dissemination, education and training, and practice. It is one of America’s largest philanthropic institutions with assets of approximately $5.2 billion and annual grants of more than $242 million. The Foundation makes grants through two major, integrated programs – U.S. Programs and International Programs – and three special programs.

ABOUT THE POSITION:
Specific responsibilities will involve all facets of the Foundation’s criminal and juvenile justice grantmaking activities. Reporting to the Program Director, the program officer will build, maintain, and strengthen relationships with state and local leaders and national experts involved in juvenile and criminal justice activities, including the signature Models for Change reform initiative, and participate in the development of grantmaking strategies related to justice law and policy research and practice. Significant exposure to and experience in systems change and improvement is highly desired. Ability to travel regularly is required.

Elias Roman, 17, has been through Illinois' juvenile justice system twice. But the second time around, he was paired with a mentor, and he's looking at things differently.

His story of trips through the justice system is familiar in Illinois — one of a number of states rethinking how it pursues juvenile justice to make sure kids who've committed a crime once don't end up in a juvenile facility again.

Nationally, there were more than 70,000 juvenile in residential placement facilities in 2010, according to Census Bureau data. The number was about 2,200 that same year in Illinois.

A damning report PDFfrom the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission called the state youth prison system an expensive failure. Its study showed that "well over 50 percent of youth" leaving the state's facilities will go back to juvenile facilities — and others will head to adult corrections system.

Some of the juveniles in Illinois' system committed serious offenses, the report shows. But many others are there for lesser crimes and, officials say, would be better served in treatment or educational programs.

Applications for both funding opportunities are due by 11:59 p.m. E.T. on August 23, 2012.

Resources:
For further information, including eligibility criteria, application deadlines, and frequently asked questions, about the above and other current OJJDP solicitations, visit www.ojjdp.gov/funding/FundingList.asp .

Monday, July 30, 2012 at 12:42 PM

CJJ - New DSO reports

The Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) has released two new publications as part of its work to change practice and policy to eliminate locked confinement of children and youths charged with status offenses and phase out the use of the Valid Court Order.

The governor’s Executive Order (PDF) calls on the working group to issue a report in December that recommends a comprehensive set of reforms to improve juvenile corrections outcomes.

Pew also is undertaking new national research on the juvenile justice system. Our team is developing a 50-state report on juvenile corrections populations and costs that will provide up-to-date, state-by-state information on how and where states are spending their juvenile justice dollars. Please sign up to our e-list to get the report when it is released and stay abreast of other project developments.

Growing numbers of state policy makers are realizing that research-based policies and programs can make their juvenile and criminal justice systems work better and cost less. We look forward to continuing to work with you to help states improve public safety, hold offenders accountable, and control corrections costs.

Levels Show National Performance

by Kim Godfrey, Executive Director

The April 2012 PbS improvement cycle is moving into site report analysis and facility improvement planning - the heart of PbS. While you’ve been looking at outcome measures, alignment of daily practices with mission and changes since last October, the PbS team has been reviewing the national data and I am very pleased to share a few highlights.

PbS is committed to treating youths in custody as one of our own. We are continually looking at information, data and indicators of the quality of life in facilities and residential programs. One tool we use to assess our impact is an aggregate analysis of the participants’ levels of performance. As you know, PbS created four levels designation to guide participants through incremental integration of PbS and sustainable positive change:

Level 4 signifies a mentor program that has mastered all of the previous levels.

As we’d hoped, more and more PbS participants are moving into higher and higher levels of performance. Since we began using the PbS levels data in 2008 to indicate every sites’ level of performance, which is later verified on-site by PbS coaches, not only have we seen a continual increase in the number of highest performing sites but also a continuous decrease in the number of sites struggling with the entry level requirements. In April 2012, more PbS sites were in Level 4 (17 or 11 percent) than in Level 1 (nine or 6 percent.)

By far, most participants are working on Level 2 (about 60 percent of all participants), largely because new participants are mastering the basics during the first year of Candidacy participation and following the instructions of Candidacy Program Manager Akin Fadeyi! It is interesting to note the almost mirror paths of Level 1 (blue) and Level 2 (red) facilities: as one increases, the other decreases. Level 3 facilities have climbed steadily from just under 20 percent to almost 25 percent of PbS participants. (We report percent of participants because the actual number of participants changes each data collection, however, the numbers show very similar change.)

Thank you for your hard work and commitment to improving juvenile justice systems. As always, I look forward to our work together to provide best possible opportunities for young offenders to turn their lives around.

Thursday, July 19, 2012 at 10:47 PM

Report summarizes BJS PREA Data Collection Activities

The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA; P.L. 108-79) requires the Attorney General to submit to Congress, not later than June 30 of each year, a report on the activities of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) for the preceding calendar year. This document fulfills this requirement

This decision reflects recent Supreme Court rulings on juvenile sentencing. The high court in 2010 declared juveniles found guilty of non-homicides could not receive life without parole, and in 2005 the court banned the death penalty for juveniles.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 5:04 PM

2012 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award Winners Announced

The PbS Learning Institute is proud to announce the winners of the 2012 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award given annually to one youth correctional facility and one detention center that best exemplify the core principle of the Performance-based Standards (PbS) program: treating all youths in custody as one of our own.

The winners were selected in a competitive application process open to all PbS facilities across the country. More than 30 high-quality applications were submitted and all demonstrated how implementation of the national Performance-based Standards (PbS) program resulted in positive outcomes for youths, staff and families. PbS sets national standards for facility quality of life and rehabilitation services and provides facilities with a blueprint for daily operations that includes performance outcome measures, best practices and processes to achieve the standards PbS facilities measure and monitor.

PbS began in 1995 when CJCA, the national organization of state juvenile correctional agency leaders, was charged with the task of finding a way to improve juvenile facilities across the United States in response to the Congressionally-mandated 1994 Conditions of Confinement Study. The program was funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and launched by Barbara Allen-Hagen, Program Manager. The award was established in 2007 when she retired to honor her dedication and commitment to youths in custody.

PbS is operated by its own independent non-profit organization, the PbS Learning Institute (PbS Li). PbS currently is used in 26 states and the District of Columbia and was a winner of the 2004 Innovations in American Government Award from the Ash Institute at Harvard University for providing juvenile justice agencies with an effective and unique self-improvement system. PbS Li has also recently expanded the PbS model of performance evaluation in secure facilities to community residential programs through its Community-based Standards (CbS) program. CbS is currently in being implemented in eight states.

New Analysis Shows Reentry Programs Can Decrease Recidivism

The United States Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has released new results from data collected from a multi-site evaluation of the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI). SVORI is a federal initiative that funds a number of locally-designed juvenile and adult reentry programs throughout the United States. Reentry programming and services are designed to facilitate offenders' transition from prison, with the goal of increasing access to reentry services.

The re-analysis of previously collected data examined existing SVORI programs and found that participation in SVORI resulted in fewer arrests. Participation was also associated with a $3,567 per inmate reduction in arrest-related costs for adult males.

TITLE: Prisoner Reentry Services: what Worked for SVORI Evaluation Participants?AUTHOR: Pamela K. LattimoreWHERE:https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/238214.pdfAbout the NIJ The National Institute of Justice — the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice — is dedicated to improving knowledge and understanding of crime and justice issues through science. NIJ provides objective and independent knowledge and tools to reduce crime and promote justice, particularly at the state and local levels.

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), headed by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary Lou Leary provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has six bureaus and offices: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART). More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

Monday, May 21, 2012 at 10:49 AM

New Publications on the WSIPP Website

The Washington State Institute for Public Policy (Institute) has recently posted the following publications online:

The 2009 Washington Legislature directed the Institute to “calculate the return on investment to taxpayers from evidence-based prevention and intervention programs and policies.” The Legislature instructed the Institute to produce “a comprehensive list of programs and policies that improve . . . outcomes for children and adults in Washington and result in more cost-efficient use of public resources.” This report summarizes our findings as of April 2012. Readers can download the technical appendix for details about our methods. (April 2012) Stephanie Lee, Steve Aos, Elizabeth Drake, Annie Pennucci, Marna Miller, Laurie Anderson. #12-04-1201.

A family caregiver voluntarily cares for a parent, spouse, partner, or another adult relative or friend. The assistance that family caregivers provide may allow care recipients to remain at home rather than in long-term care. The Family Caregiver Support Program (FCSP) at the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) provides resources and services to unpaid family caregivers in Washington State. In concert with the state’s 13 Area Agencies on Aging, the FCSP provides information and outreach; screening, assessment, consultation, coordination of services, and caregiver support services and resources. The program directly served 5,800 caregivers in fiscal year 2011. For fiscal year 2012, the legislature increased funding for FCSP to expand in-depth services to more caregivers. The legislature also directed the Institute to work with DSHS to establish and review outcome measures associated with the FCSP expansion. The goal of the study is to assess whether the expansion of this program delays entry of care recipients into Medicaid-paid long-term care. This report gives a brief description of the program and outlines the approach to evaluation. A final report will be published by August 30, 2012. (February 2012) Jim Mayfield, Marna Miller. #12-02-3901.

Resources:
If you have any questions regarding the above reports, please call the Institute at (360) 586-2677.

Register Now for "Best Practices in Behavioral Health Treatment for Juveniles Returning from Out-of-Home Placement"

The National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC) announces webinar, WEBINAR: BEST PRACTICES IN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TREATMENT FOR JUVENILES RETURNING FROM OUT-OF-HOME PLACEMENT. In order to provide effective behavioral health treatment to justice-involved youth, juvenile justice authorities and their partners must be equipped to quickly identify behavioral health treatment needs, make referrals to appropriate services, and provide treatment and other necessary supports both while the youth is in custody and during his/her reentry process. Recent research on best practices in behavioral health treatment for youth underscores the importance of a continuum of care model. According to the research, this model should incorporate the following core elements:

Rapid and reliable identification of a young person’s treatment and support needs;

Effective and promising treatment interventions;

Knowledge of the fundamental elements of any effective treatment intervention for youth;

A network of community agencies that provide effective treatment interventions;

Utilization decisions that are driven by outcomes and relative cost-effectiveness;

Availability of continuing care and recovery support that is tailored to this population; and

Supportive services that resonate with youth.

This webinar, which is the first in a two-part series, will focus on both identifying behavioral needs and delivering treatment based on best practices while the youth is in placement. Speakers will discuss the use of risk and needs assessments and the need to properly balance youths’ criminogenic risk factors with their behavioral health treatment needs in developing a treatment plan that will prepare them for reentry. The second webinar in the series, which will focus on the transition from placement to the community, will discuss ways that community supervision agencies and treatment providers can best support youth with behavioral health treatment needs; the date and time will be announced soon.

The National Youth Screening and Assessment Project (NYSAP) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School invites applications from juvenile justice jurisdictions (e.g., probation agencies, judicial commissions, defender or prosecutor organizations) to participate in the Risk and Mental Health Screening and Assessment of Youth (RAMSAY) Technical Assistance Demonstration Project. This project is co-funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Participation in RAMSAY could greatly enhance the effectiveness with which a juvenile justice jurisdiction makes case management decisions, optimally resulting in improved allocation of resources, reduced costs, and reduced likelihood of further delinquency.

Participating jurisdictions will receive technical assistance at no cost for up to 18 months to implement an empirically validated risk assessment tool (to be selected in consultation with NYSAP) and a well-researched mental health screening tool, the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Second Version (MAYSI-2), for use by juvenile probation officers. Jurisdictions also will benefit in several other ways. NYSAP will:

Provide funds to hire a part-time Assessment Coordinator (e.g., a regional manager or deputy of the probation office)

Provide funds for costs associated with any enhancements to the existing database management system needed to record necessary data

Provide training to several stakeholder groups about the research based decision-making model for case planning

Hire experts to train staff on the risk assessment tool selected and on the MAYSI-2 (the author of the MAYSI-2, Thomas Grisso, Ph.D., will provide training on that tool)

Purchase manuals of the risk assessment tool for each probation officer

Purchase computer software for administering the MAYSI-2 (MAYSIWARE)

RESOURCES:
The full announcement that describes the eligibility requirements, selection criteria, and application process is available at http://www.nysap.us/. Applications are due by May 9, 2012.

This new program, supported with funding from the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change Initiative, is designed to enable leaders in the juvenile justice, child welfare, education, behavioral health and other child serving fields to overcome information sharing challenges that prevent the communication and coordination that is necessary to more fully serve youth known across multiple systems of care. Upon completion of the intensive three-day learning experience, participants apply the knowledge they gain through the development and implementation of a Capstone Project—an action agenda they undertake in their organization/community to initiate or enhance information sharing efforts. To accelerate these efforts, it is strongly encouraged that those interested in attending form a team from their jurisdiction to apply to the program.

Faculty for the program is comprised of information sharing, juvenile justice and child welfare subject matter experts from across the country who will deliver a curriculum designed to increase participants' ability to solve real-life problems when they return home.Thanks to the MacArthur Foundation,tuition subsidiesare available for those with financial need.

If you have any questions regarding this program, please contact Kristina Rosinsky, Program Manager, at klr45@georgetown.edu.

Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 3:26 PM

OJJDP Releases Second Issue of Journal of Juvenile Justice

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has published the second issue of the online Journal of Juvenile Justice, a semi-annual, peer-reviewed journal that addresses a variety of issues in juvenile justice.